It was a Canton, Ohio-market Class A offering Christian Talk & Teaching programming as “The Light.” Now, the light has been extinguished, but the mission to serve the Lord remains firmly in place.
That’s because Educational Media Foundation is now the station’s owner.
WNPQ-FM 95.9 in New Philadelphia, Ohio, is now a EMF property, as the non-profit broadcast ministry that’s the parent of networks KLOVE and Air1 has completed its purchase of the station.
The deal was first announced in November 2021. The deal is valued at $850,000, and was fueled in part by the death of Tuscarawas Broadcasting Co. head Ignacio Natoli.
Both parties in this transaction were represented by Jon Yinger of Detroit-based Broadcast Properties LLC. He was assisted by Garry Meeks of Meeks Radio.
With the sale, Tuscarawas will continue to own and operate WBTC-AM and W270CI in New Philadelphia.
“The Light” has been expected to become the latest “KLOVE” Christian Contemporary Music member station, as it does not have a local presence in New Philadelphia. In nearby Akron, a 10-watt FM translator brings KLOVE programming to the city.
Air1 also has an absence of coverage in Canton and to the south.
WNPQ signed on the air in 1969. Past formats include Top 40, and during the 1980s was known for a period as Album-Oriented Rocker “Quick 96.”
